Deborah James has revealed that she has already decided she wants to spend her final days at her parents' home rather than her own house in London.
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The writer, podcaster and activist announced this week that her active care for bowel cancer has stopped and she will instead be 'moved to hospice at home care with [her] incredible family all around [her]'.
Speaking in her final episode of You, Me and the Big C, Deborah shared that she hopes to die in the comfort of her parents' bungalow, surrounded by greenery and with her whole family by her side.
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Deborah was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016, and has been documenting her journey with fans and supporters ever since through her BBC podcast You, Me and the Big C, and her 'Bowel Babe' Instagram page.
It was through her Instagram page that she announced the news she would no longer be pursuing treatment for her bowel cancer.
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In her heartbreaking post, Deborah told supporters: "Nobody knows how long I’ve got left but I’m not able to walk, I’m sleeping most of the days, and most things I took for granted are pipe dreams."
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Speaking in the last episode of her podcast, she explained that no one has been able to give her a time estimate.
"I know I definitely don't have months. I know that the hospice assessed me yesterday and said it depends on what my body does, really. It could be weeks at most, really. But even doctors, they just don't know."
In preparation, Deb shared on the podcast that she plans to get away from her London home and spend her remaining days at her parents' home.
"I think I always knew I didn't want to be at my London home," she said. "It doesn't feel right to me. There's nothing I can describe that feels relaxing in that capacity.
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"Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely place but I also think it's not right for me but it means the kids can go back there and they don't have those medical equipment scars faced everywhere.
“So, it can continue to be their home without those memories, which might be a good thing.”
Accompanying her announcement this week, Deb shared a link to her new fundraiser, the Bowel Babe Fund, which managed to raise more than £1 million in its first 24 hours.
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The fund will 'raise awareness and money for the charities that are closest to [Deborah]', including Cancer Research UK, Bowel Cancer UK, and Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
For more information and advice on bowel cancer, visit Bowel Cancer UK.
You can donate to the Bowel Babe fund here.
Topics: Celebrity
Ali Condon